Beware the Beast

by Anne Mather

  "Tea? No. I don't want tea, Charlotte. I came because

  Maria thought to inform me that you were not well this morning.”

  "Oh !" Charlotte was taken aback. "Oh, I see."

  Eleni looked her up and down. "I must say you look all right now."

  "I am. I am." Charlotte shifted uncomfortably. "It - it was nothing. A touch of the sun, that's all. Maria worries too such. Now - will you have some tea?"

  "If you insist, I suppose I must." Eleni sounded dis­gruntled. "You're sure you're all right?"

  "I've told you, I'm fine. Don't fuss. Haven't you ever felt a little under the weather?"

  Eleni relaxed. "Of course I have." She chuckled. "Very well, Charlotte. I'm sorry. But Maria's note sounded urgent Besides ..," she spread her hands, "it was too nice an after­noon to spend alone."

  Even so, after Eleni had gone, Charlotte wondered how much Maria had said in her note, and how much either of them suspected. It made the possibility of her seeing a doctor without arousing any comment that much less feasible.

  The following morning, Charlotte was violently sick almost the minute she set foot out of bed. She sat there on the side of the bed, with the room revolving sickeningly about her, and wondered how on earth she could keep this to herself. .

  Unfortunately, Tina chose that moment to knock at the bedroom door, and although Charlotte did not have the strength to answer her, she opened the door arid came into the room. It took only seconds for her to absorb what had happened, and shaking her head she insisted that Charlotte get right back between the sheets. Charlotte protested, but it did no good, and besides, she felt too ill to put up much of a struggle. She was vaguely aware that Tina went away and came back again, and presently the scent of lemon disin­fectant cleared the air. She lay back against the pillows, feeling sick and frightened, and utterly alone.

  "Tora, kyria, ti simveni?"

  A cool hand was laid against Charlotte's forehead, and she opened her eyes to find Maria looking anxiously down at her. The compassion in the old servant's face was weakening, and Charlotte felt tears rolling unheeded down her pale cheeks.

  Maria shook her head, smoothing the girl's hair from her forehead, looping it behind her ears. "Now - you are feeling a little better, aren't you?" she asked gently.

  Charlotte swallowed convulsively. "A - a little."

  "So why are you crying? You know what is happening to you is nothing to cry about, kyria."

  Charlotte blinked. "What - what do you mean?"

  Maria smiled. "Have I not delivered many babies, pethi? Do you think I do not know why a girl has the sickness ? Kyrios Alexandros will be so pleased. And Kyria Elenii I will send for her - "

  "Nol" Charlotte forced herself up on her elbows, grasping Maria's gnarled hand. "No, please - don't tell her, Maria. I -I'll tell her myself, but - but not yet."

  "Ah, I understand, kyria. You wish for Kyrios Alexandros to be the first to know about his son. And why not? That is as it should be. I will speak to Sophia, and she will go to the village and tell Vittorio. He can go to the mainland and send a message- "

  "No!" Charlotte sank back weakly against the pillows. "I mean - well, there's no need. Alex - Alex will come back as soon as he can. I -! don't want to trouble him."

  "Trouble him, kyria?" Maria looked astounded. "He will not consider this a trouble ! For many years now, Kyria Eleni has been wanting him to get married - wanting a great­grandchild. They will both be - enchanted."

  "Well, I'm not enchanted," muttered Charlotte, turning her face into the pillow.

  Maria chuckled. "You will be, pethi. We all have to suffer a little unpleasantness to begin with."

  "A little unpleasantness!" echoed Charlotte indignantly. "Why? Why should we? Why should a man get away without suffering anything?"

  "That is the way of the world," Maria assured her calmly. "Now, you rest a while. You'll see, in an hour you will feel fine again."

  And it was true. Although Charlotte was very chary about getting out of bed the second time, the giddiness had left her and only a hollow emptiness in her stomach gave" her any discomfort. This was soon banished by a cup of tea accom­panied by a roll, fresh from the oven, and then she did indeed feel perfectly fit. It was amazing, and the realization lifted her spirits. Even her fears seemed exaggerated in retrospect.

  Even so, for the next few mornings, she was very reluctant about getting up. She found she felt much better if she ate something before actually getting out of bed. This was Maria's suggestion, and she soon realized that a dry biscuit could work wonders on her constitution. By the end of a week she had grown accustomed to taking these simple precautions, and she could feel her body beginning to adjust itself to its new condition.

  What disturbed her most now was Alex's prolonged ab­sence. With every day that passed she became more convinced that what Eleni had said was true. He was staying away deliberately - but why? What possible reason could he have? And why didn't she send word to him as Maria wanted her to do? The old servant adopted a definite air of disapproval every time she saw Charlotte these days, but she could not appreciate the difficulties of Charlotte's position.

  Then, late one evening, after Charlotte had gone to bed, she heard the sound of a boat's engines. Any sound carried easily on the still night air, and she rolled on to her stomach, lifting her head to listen more intently. Thoughts of bandits or terrorists flicked through her head, to be discarded instantly. She was not the only one with ears to hear, and the village was much nearer the channel between the headlands. Ail the same, it was unnerving, lying there in the darkness, wondering who it could be. She gave a thought to Alex, but he always used the helicopter, and besides, she would have had word if he was coming, she felt sure.

  The engines were cut and silence descended again. Char­lotte sighed frustratedly. Whoever it was, surely they could not expect her to be up at this time of night. It was almost midnight. Of course, it might be George Constandis come to inform her when Ales was due back. Her stomach muscles tightened, reminding her of what she had to tell him when he did come. Strangely, she did not want to tell him.

  She rolled on to her back again, kicking over the covers impatiently. It was quite a warm night, and her brushed nylon nightgown was sufficient covering. She stared into the dark­ ness with troubled eyes. If it was George Constandis would someone come and tell her? Or would he be expected to wait until morning? She shifted restlessly. Curiosity made her want to get out of bed there and then and go and see for herself.

  There had been no further sounds and she sighed again. Perhaps she had been mistaken in thinking the sounds came from below the villa. Perhaps the wind which blew quite strongly after dark had carried sounds from the village.

  She almost jumped out of her skin therefore when the bed­room door opened almost silently and a tall broad figure entered the room. He dosed the door and leaned back against it, and at once Charlotte knew who it was.

  "A-AIex?" she got out chokingly, and with a sigh he crossed the room and switched on the bedside lamp.

  Her first impressions of him were that he was drunk. He swayed a little as he stood there looking down at her, but there was no smell of alcohol on his breath. Then she realized he was exhausted. His eyes were red-rimmed, his face was thinner than she remembered, and lines of strain were etched between his nose and his mouth. He, had unloosened his tie and unbuttoned the neck of his shirt, his dark suit creased after the long flight.

  "Did I wake you?" he asked flatly, running a hand round the back of his neck. "I'm sorry."

  Charlotte sat up, reaching for her silk robe. "Why didn't you let me know you were coming?" she exclaimed, more concerned for him than she would have thought possible. "Is George with you? Did you come in the launch?"

  "I came in a launch, yes." Alex flexed his shoulder muscles tiredly. "And no, George isn't with me. I came alone."

  "Alone?"

  "Yes, alone," he returned heavily. "Are you all right?" His eyes grew cynical as she pulle
d the folds of the robe about her. "Don't worry, I'm not about to demand my con­jugal rights. I'm too tired."

  Charlotte stared at him worriedly. "You'd better sit down before you fall down," she retorted. "Can I get you anything? Some coffee? Or a sandwich?"

  Alex shook his head, sinking wearily down on to the side of the bed. "No, nothing, thanks. I had a meal on the plane a few hours ago." He rested his head in his hands. "I just need some sleep, that's all."

  Charlotte stared at his bent head. Now was no time to ask questions or to answer them. She didn't know why he had chosen to come back alone, or why he had come to her room instead of his own. Unless perhaps he had only intended checking that she was still there.

  His breathing deepened as she watched him, and bending over Mm she saw to her dismay that he had fallen asleep.

  Asleep - and here ! On her bed !

  Shaking her head, she regarded him frustratedly for another few minutes, and then, as he showed no signs of stirring, she slid his jacket off his shoulders and eased him back against the pillows. He groaned and relaxed against their softness, turning to burrow his head into them without even opening;. his eyes. Charlotte stood, undecided, his jacket still in her hands, and then, with a gesture of impatience, she dropped it over a chair.

  His shoes came next, and she pushed them under the bed, considering his pants with doubtful eyes. Should she, or shouldn't she? If she didn't, he would be far too hot and uncomfortable. And besides, he wore under-pants, didn't he? They couid be no more revealing than wet shorts.

  Ignoring any doubts that still lingered, she unbuckled belt and eased his pants down over his hips. They came ofl without too much difficulty, and joined the jacket over the chair. Then she sat down on the other side of the bed and wondered what to do. If she went and slept in his bedroom it would be all over the villa in the morning that she had left Alex on his first night home.

  And besides, what could happen? Alex was weak, exhausted. She could be up and dressed before he opened his eye$ in the morning.

  With another taint sigh, she shed the silk robe, turned out the lamp, and climbed into the bed beside him. He didn't stir, and it was wide enough to permit at least a couple of feet between them. Charlotte turned oa to her side and closed her eyes.

  She awakened to the unusual weight of an arm outstretched across her breasts, and the warmth of another body beside hers in the bed. Immediately she remembered the events of the night before, and her head jerked sideways on the pillow, seeking to see whether Alex was already awake. But he was not. Some time during the night he had shrugged out of the shirt he had been wearing, and it now lay in the heap at the foot of the bed. A growth of beard darkened his jawline, but relaxed in sleep, the lines she had noticed the night before had been smoothed away.

  Lying there, with the weight of his arm across her, the hair-roughened skin of his chest brushing her arm, and the heated scent of his body close beside her, Charlotte felt a curious sense of security. It was all she could do to prevent herself from raising her hand and touching his face. She had not realized how ridiculously relieved she would feel to see him, or how easy it would be to forget all the brutal things he had done to her.

  Despising her weakness, she moved her legs from under his, but the activity disturbed him. His eyes opened and looked into hers, and the unguarded desire in their depths caused her to tremble. She knew she had to move, to get away from him, but she seemed mesmerized by his gaze. Almost in slow motion, she felt the arm across her breasts move, his hand sliding caressingly over her shoulder to her nape. Slowly, but insistently, he drew her quivering body closer, and with unhurried deliberation began to kiss the creamy skin of her shoulders. He pushed the offending straps of her nightgown aside, and trailed his mouth across her throat to the hollow between her breasts.

  "Alex..." she got out chokingly, "Alex, please..." but he paid no heed to her protests. He was intent on arousing her to a full awareness of her own physical needs and a strange lethargy that deprived her of the strength to get away from him was weakening her limbs. She actually found herself moving against him, feeling the quickening of his desire, her hands seeking the hardness of flesh and muscle that was crushing her beneath him. Then her mouth encountered the parted urgency of his and resistance ceased.

  "Dear God, Charlotte," he groaned, burying his face in her hair, "why did I stay away so long?"

  Charlotte did not answer him. She was no longer respons­ible for her actions, winding her arms around his neck, grasping handfuls of his hair and dragging his mouth back to hers. She wanted him to go on, and if she considered what she was inviting, she did not care. At least, not then. Her body demanded satisfaction, and her mental processes were tem­porarily submerged by Alex's demands upon her. When he took possession of her, she prepared to suffer in silence, and then was overwhelmed by forces she had not known existed inside her. She was engulfed in pleasure, transported into a golden world which Alex seemed to share. With a muffled little cry, she wound herself closer against him, uncaring at that moment for anything but him...

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Charlotte stirred reluctantly. Someone had just knocked at the bedroom door, and the harsh sound brought her back to the cold world of reality. She was hastily pulling up the covers when Tina came into the room carrying the usual tray of tea and biscuits. The girl stopped abruptly when she saw her master sleeping soundly beside her mistress, and for once Charlotte saw she was disconcerted.

  "Pardon, kyria" she exclaimed, in a whisper. "I -! did not know Kyrios Alexandros was back!"

  Extricating herself from Alex with difficulty, Charlotte moved to the side of the bed, breathing a sigh of relief when he did not waken, "just put the tray here, Tina," she said softly, indicating the bedside table. "You can tell Maria that your employer arrived back unexpectedly late last night."

  "Ne, kyria." Tina nodded vigorously, and set down the tray, her eyes lingering somewhat enviously on Alex's sleeping form. Then her eyes shifted to Charlotte, desperately holding the thin sheet in front of her. "Ne, kyria" she said again, and with a little smile she left them.

  After she had gone, Charlotte chewed on a biscuit. Sur­prisingly this morning she had not felt particularly nauseated, but as her brain began to function again she rested troubled eyes on her husband.

  So that was what the lecturers-at school had meant when they had warned the girls of the traitorous aspects of their own bodies. She could recall every detail of what had occurred with uneasy clarity, conscious of the shameless way she had abandoned herself to him. She had actually wanted him to make love to her, although she doubted that that tender emotion had played any part in Alex's behaviour. He was a man, and he had wanted her. But love didn't enter into it.

  That was what made her part in it so—so degrading somehow. And it had all been for nothing, after all. She should have stopped him. She should have told him that there was no need for him to touch her ever again. She was already pregnant. She had conceived the child he had gone to such lengths to obtain, and there was no longer any necessity for him to pretend.

  But instead, what had she done? Her cheeks burned with remembered humiliation. She had allowed him to hypnotize her, to use that undoubted expertise he possessed to arouse a response inside her which, once kindled, had scorched her in the blaze of its intensity. Oh, she had been a fool all right, a stupid fool I Because she now knew that he had the power to seduce her whenever he chose. And when he discovered that she was already pregnant, who knew what construction he might place upon her actions? How could she bear the ignominy of confessing such a thing to him? And if she didn't tell him, Maria would!

  Stifling a groan of self-disgust, she slid out of bed, running involuntary hands over her own nudity. Then, aware that he might wake at any time, she quickly pulled the folds of her robe about her. She was not a moment too soon, Alex was stirring, and with an exclamation she fled into the bathroom. When she .returned to the bedroom, she found to her sur­prise that Alex had gone. Contrarily
, she didn't know whether to be glad or sorry, and when she realized that Maria might see him at any time and blurt out her congratulations, she hastened into her clothes with undue speed.

  The button on her jeans was tight, and she wrinkled her nose in surprise. Then her breathing quickened. Of course, already her waistline was thickening. In a month's time, she would be unable to keep her secret from anyone.

  Taking a deep breath, she fastened the button, and then rummaged in a drawer until she came up with a loose-fitting cotton smock with a scalloped edge. It was an attractive gar­ment, and she thought with relief that these days smocks were not wholly confined to pregnant women.

  Leaving her room, she walked quickly along to the hall, and encountered Maria changing the flowers in a bronze vase. The old woman straightened excitedly when she saw Char­lotte, and said: "Tina tells me that Kyrios Aiexandros is home I You must be very happy. What does he say about..." She flicked her hand knowingly towards Charlotte's stomach.

  Charlotte glanced apprehensively behind her, but they were alone and not being overheard. "Maria, he doesn't know," she stated quietly.

  "Not know?" Maria threw up her hands. "You have not told him?"

  "I - no. No, I haven't."

  "Then sas katalaveno, kyria." Maria sighed, shaking her head. "I do not understand. Why have you not told him?"

  Charlotte shifted restlessly from one foot to the other. "Nine months is a long time, Maria. Anything could hap­pen-"

  "And probably will if you do not tell him, kyria" retorted Maria sharply.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Ah, kyria, have I not known Aiexandros since he was a small child? He is very much a man, no? He has been away many weeks." She shrugged helplessly. "You. understand what I am trying to say, kyria?’

  Charlotte was scarlet. "Yes. Yes, I think so. But you don't have to worry about that. Nine months - "

  "Only a little over six months in my estimation, kyria" Maria interrupted her. "I am not blind. I have eyes to see. But understand this, you have been here some time now, and I have grown fond of you ..."